# Why briar if cob is so good?



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

Some of you may know that I am looking to buy my first pipe. My question is ...if corn cobs are so good, why does anyone smoke a briar? I understand that a cob is good for testing new tobaccos so there is no "contamination" from prior blend, but will I get a "true" experience smoking a cob vs a briar (or a meer for that matter)?


----------



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

Briars can last you a lifetime or two if you take care of it, they can also be sweet smokers, some people (like me) like to fiddle around with theirs, they are more personal in many ways as they come in endless varieties, and they can be art.

Heres one of mine that I'm deciding-over whether it will be a dedicated English or Virginia pipe. I have several MM cobs, but I love my briars.


----------



## pomorider (Nov 14, 2009)

When I was at my tobacconist yesterday, I asked a similar question. I was told that quality pipes smoke cooler. I am still a newbie piper and I just bought my first cob yesterday.


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

@pomorider - Thanks for your feedback. Do you own any briars or is the cob your first pipe?


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Briars ghost. They take on flavors of the blends you smoke. This is an advantage, as they can heighten the taste of a blend you've dedicated to them.

Mostly, for me, it's the artistry. They can look stunning. Also, they're really damn tough.


----------



## mbearer (Jun 2, 2010)

Cobs are great I LOVE my cobs. However, I love my briars too.. all for different reasons.. 

My cobs are cheap, smoke good, and don't ghost the flavor. I love them for yard work, trying new blends, a blend I haven't had in awhile I also don't leave them hanging from my mouth in the shop  They don't look that good though. 

My Briars now... Ahh they look nice when I am dressed up or lounging with friends. Some of them smoke much cooler then the cob. They also have more sizes for different loads and smoke times. As they ghost the flavor also evolves and gets richer once it breaks in. Also the briars are a lot more durable and the bowls don't wear down where my cobs you can tell they won't live forever before burnout. I also love the shapes of my briars, add in the grain pattern and they are just great... 

My Meers, well those are just special  The non ghosting of a cob, the beautify of a Briar, cool to smoke like anything... LOVE them.. just so fragile they don't leave my house because I am afraid of killing them... 

Written up by a still new smoker. 
Mike


----------



## KetherInMalkuth (Dec 17, 2009)

I could never love a cob the way I love my briars.


----------



## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

What CWL, DQ & mbearer said. There's just something about briars. Cobs have their place as well. Just a matter of personal preference & style.


----------



## BigKev77 (Feb 16, 2008)

IMO you will get a "true experience" quicker from a cob than a briar if you are a beginner. They are just easier to smoke than most briars. I like the Country Gentleman and then a Washington for a short smoke.


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

because some of us prefer not to look like Jed Clampet when smoking


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

+ RG for the OP, because I've been wondering the same thing. I'm brand new to the pipe as well, only smoked a cob so far. Yeah, it's ugly, but it smokes like a champ.


----------



## kvv098 (Mar 16, 2010)

Just bought a briar pipe from ebay and found that the guy was smoking something like Cannon Plug from it. Now I am on my 3rd salt bowlfull and it still smelling perfume.
I think it should be mandatory to smoke strong aromatics from cobs


----------



## kvv098 (Mar 16, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> + RG for the OP, because I've been wondering the same thing. I'm brand new to the pipe as well, only smoked a cob so far. Yeah, it's ugly, but it smokes like a champ.


What do you mean "like a champ"? That fast?


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> + RG for the OP, because I've been wondering the same thing. I'm brand new to the pipe as well, only smoked a cob so far. Yeah, it's ugly, but it smokes like a champ.


Duh? What does + RG mean?


----------



## KickinItInSD (Aug 4, 2010)

*"Like a Champ"*-- Smokes really well

*(+RG)* =Plus Ring Gauge- It's like a Reputation for the forums. You can add it by clicking the button between the green circle and caution sign
<<----------------------


----------



## BloodyCactus (Oct 19, 2010)

until I researched I always thought briar was all there was, now I see there is clay, ancient seashell, cob, cherry tree... lots of woods (maple, bog oak, olive, rosewood, etc)


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

KickinItInSD Thanks, but I'm guessing clicking my own reputation button is either not allowed or really bad form


----------



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

Well, things like this can happen much faster with a cob than a briar -not that you'd care much since you only paid a few bucks for it.


----------



## TXsmoker (Sep 6, 2010)

Briar good, meer better, and no opinion of a cob as Ive never smoked one.


----------



## pomorider (Nov 14, 2009)

lbiislander said:


> @pomorider - Thanks for your feedback. Do you own any briars or is the cob your first pipe?


I have three pipes and I just bought my corn con yesterday. I cant really compare it to my briar until I smoke a few more bowls.


----------



## doctorthoss (Jun 28, 2010)

I actually think that cobs smoke far better than briars in most respects, but they look ridiculous when smoking them in public. Briars are often works of art, while cobs usually aren't. Most of my "at home" smokes are from cobs.


----------



## WyoBob (Mar 6, 2007)

Briars and meers are beautiful. I've probably owned 25 or so briars and 3 meers. (This includes my previous pipe smoking career 35 years ago.) Most of my briars were actual estate pipes and used pipes from ebay but I did buy a few new briars years ago after destroying my much loved GBD 357. None of those briars smoked as good as the GBD and a couple (fairly expensive pipes) were real stinkers and never smoked well.

I now have one briar out of the 5 that I own that delivers a great smoke (a GBD 549) and one meer out of two that's outstanding (and it's a cheap, no-name ebay meer.) I have 7 cobs and they all are great smokers. My favorites are a MM natural Diplomat and natural Freehand.

A collection of briars and meers can add up dollar wise. An expensive pipe that delivers a mediocre or poor smoke bums me out and adds to the cost of the hobby. I'd rather concentrate on adding to my "cellar" of tobacco rather than tying money up in pipes that may or may not pan out.

As I've had such good luck with cobs since I started back on the pipe last March, I smoke them 98% of the time. I sure like to look at my bent meer and my GBD but always find myself reaching for a cob.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

The main problem I have with cobs now is the draw is far too open when compared to my briars and my meer. When I was starting out, the open draw was a benefit. Now, not so much. Secondly, while smoking Virginias, I prefer the way they taste in a briar vs. a cob. I'm glad I started out with cobs, but in all honesty, now that I've got the packing and puffing somewhat figured out, I prefer the experience of smoking in a briar to smoking in a cob. Throw in the aesthetics, and it's no contest.


----------



## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

I am surprised I didn't see mention of my one big cob gripe. 


SIZE.

I can't fit a proper full flake in my cob. But I still enjoy smoking it though.


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Davetopay said:


> I am surprised I didn't see mention of my one big cob gripe.
> 
> SIZE.
> 
> I can't fit a proper full flake in my cob. But I still enjoy smoking it though.


Missouri Meerschaum Company - Pipes (Click here to see all) - General


----------



## Mitch (Oct 2, 2009)

indigosmoke said:


> because some of us prefer not to look like Jed Clampet when smoking


lol, I agree.

I have nothing against those who love cobs. I just don't like smoking a cob pipe and I never do. To me, this is like wearing sweat pants and going out for dinner with my wife.


----------



## Siv (Jul 26, 2010)

Why buy a Ferrari when a Honda Civic will get you from A to B just as well. It's a luxury... Briars and Meers are luxury pipes and at 10x/100x/1000x the price, there is little justification since they don't smoke 100x better.

I don't have any cobs - I've worked too hard not to indulge myself a little.


----------



## CCFL (Sep 21, 2010)

Like most thing where you get options, there are pros and cons to cobs. To me they are great starters because they are cheap. I got three when I started a few months ago. I charred one of them, chewed a hole through the bit of the second, and gave up on the third because the draw felt odd. When I picked up a briar is when I really started enjoying the hobby.

So I'm thankful to cobs for teaching me that I smoked too fast and that I love briars.


----------



## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Siv said:


> Why buy a Ferrari when a Honda Civic will get you from A to B just as well. It's a luxury... Briars and Meers are luxury pipes and at 10x/100x/1000x the price, there is little justification since they don't smoke 100x better.
> 
> I don't have any cobs - I've worked too hard not to indulge myself a little.


You're not necessarily spending more for something that smokes exponentially better in accordance with the price. Briar looks better, smokes as well if not better, and your investment can literally last a lifetime (or longer).

Plus, if you would like true variation in your smoking, you have to go with briars or meers. Cobs look like...cobs. There are different shapes, but they all look like cobs. There are tons of briar shapes, and with rusticated, sandblast and smooth finishes there are endless variations. If you're happy looking at cobs all the time, then no big deal. But for those of us that like a little more variety briars (and to a lesser extent, meers) are the way to go.


----------



## Stench (Aug 17, 2009)

Think of a cob as a briar with training wheels....no gurgle, easy to start with!

I still use two cobs in my rotation and they are usually my travel pipes, if one gets broken, $8 and I'm back in business!


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

To me, a cob is similar to a clay pipe in that it has many of the same advantages and disadvantages.. It is cheap, does not have too bad a break in period, and give an unghosted flavour. It has many inherent problems however. First, as Davetopay says, I have never had a cob that is big enough. They are fragile. In spite of the rep, they do have to be broken in. When you first use a new cob it has a scorched cob flavour until there is a little cake. As someone said the draw is too open to me. To me they are good to try a tobacco whose flavour profile does not fit the pipes you have. Its sort of like a paper plate experience. They work, but china is better.


----------



## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

ChronoB said:


> You're not necessarily spending more for something that smokes exponentially better in accordance with the price. Briar looks better, smokes as well if not better, and your investment can literally last a lifetime (or longer).
> 
> Plus, if you would like true variation in your smoking, you have to go with briars or meers. Cobs look like...cobs. There are different shapes, but they all look like cobs. There are tons of briar shapes, and with rusticated, sandblast and smooth finishes there are endless variations. If you're happy looking at cobs all the time, then no big deal. But for those of us that like a little more variety briars (and to a lesser extent, meers) are the way to go.


Well said! I love my cobs, have 5 in my rotation. The Country Gentleman is my favorite but I love my briars for the variation. I guess it all comes down to aesthetics. What ever you're comfortable with and fits in your budget.


----------



## Siv (Jul 26, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> You're not necessarily spending more for something that smokes exponentially better in accordance with the price. Briar looks better, smokes as well if not better, and your investment can literally last a lifetime (or longer).
> 
> Plus, if you would like true variation in your smoking, you have to go with briars or meers. Cobs look like...cobs. There are different shapes, but they all look like cobs. There are tons of briar shapes, and with rusticated, sandblast and smooth finishes there are endless variations. If you're happy looking at cobs all the time, then no big deal. But for those of us that like a little more variety briars (and to a lesser extent, meers) are the way to go.


I will agree that briars look better and have more variety in look and shape than a cob.

But, I will respectfully disagree with you that they smoke better purely based on my limited experience. They smoke differently but the annoyance of cake building and the gurgling makes me not want to have any briars. I do, however, have dozens of meers and I would like to think that there is just as much variety in the look and shape of meers than briars, if not more.

Also, over a lifetime of smoking, I would expect the briar smoker will spend more on pipes than the cob smoker.

At the end of the day, it's great that there are cobs, clays, briar, meers etc so that anyone can enjoy the evil weed to their personal preference and budget.


----------



## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Siv said:


> I will agree that briars look better and have more variety in look and shape than a cob.
> 
> But, I will respectfully disagree with you that they smoke better purely based on my limited experience. They smoke differently but the annoyance of cake building and the gurgling makes me not want to have any briars. I do, however, have dozens of meers and I would like to think that there is just as much variety in the look and shape of meers than briars, if not more.
> 
> ...


Interesting points. I have 12 pipes, and very little caking in any of them. This is because I spread the smoking around, and I don't smoke very often. I'm sure at some point a particular one of them will require reaming, but a lifelong product will require some maintenance.

I also have little problem with gurgling/moisture, but when i do I use a pipe cleaner (I also have no pipe that won't pass a pipe cleaner, except for my Peterson system pipe).

I don't know how long a cob will last, but lets say you have one cob that is heavily smoked, and it lasts 6 months. That means if you smoke for 50 years you need two pipes a year, or 100 pipes. At around $8.00 for a cob, that is $800. If you bought 8 pipes with an average price of $100 you'd have quality briars that will likely all last you the whole 50 years. I could be off here, but I doubt that a lifetime smoker will save money over the long haul by exclusively smoking cobs, unless he would otherwise keep buying more briars than he needs throughout his life.

That leads to the other advantage that meers and briars (more particularly briars) have going for them: collectability. I doubt there are many people that collect cobs.

But, as you say, everyone enjoys their tobacco differently, and if the cob suits someone fine they should stick with it. They certainly are an economical way for beginners to start, or to allow someone with dedicated briars to try a different blend without ghosting one of their pipes.


----------



## Sam_Wheat (Oct 7, 2010)

Thanks for the information! I got me a corn cob yesterday and love it! I decided to dedicate my peterson sherlock to sg fvf for now!


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Sam_Wheat said:


> Thanks for the information! I got me a corn cob yesterday and love it! I decided to dedicate my peterson sherlock to sg fvf for now!


Smart. If you ever want to re-dedicate that pipe to any other blend, the VA ghost is compatible with anything.


----------



## Sam_Wheat (Oct 7, 2010)

If someone have ever told me I would be smoking out of a corn cob pipe I would have never believed them!


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Without getting into meers (since it wasn't in the OP), I get a decent smoke from cobs but a much better smoke from briars. Hence, I don't own any cobs any longer. No disrespect intended towards cob lovers - I just don't share their opinion.

But as mentioned, it's not all about the flavor of the smoke. Briars lend themselves better to the pipe collector and aesthete.


----------



## Siv (Jul 26, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> At around $8.00 for a cob, that is $800. If you bought 8 pipes with an average price of $100 you'd have quality briars that will likely all last you the whole 50 years. I could be off here, but I doubt that a lifetime smoker will save money over the long haul by exclusively smoking cobs, unless he would otherwise keep buying more briars than he needs throughout his life.


I'm smiling as I type this - you have 12 pipes so you may have already spent more than the example above 

I'm just as guilty - I have dozens of pipes, so many that I still haven't gotten around to smoking them all! I'm sure my wife would have a few more pairs of shoes had I been a cob smoker!


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

Well...I don't necessarily want to close this thread as it seems to be a great discussion for a noob like myself, however, last night I drank the Kool aid. That is I bought my first pipe - a Savinelli 606. Tried some samples of tobacco at the shop, Maltese Falcon and something else I don't remember (from a tin). Also tried the house blend that started this whole adventure and absolutely hated it. Didn't buy any tobacco yet, I figured I'd read some different threads here and try some samples at the shop first.


----------



## Fritzchen (Nov 18, 2009)

lbiislander said:


> Well...I don't necessarily want to close this thread as it seems to be a great discussion for a noob like myself, however, last night I drank the Kool aid. That is I bought my first pipe - a Savinelli 606. Tried some samples of tobacco at the shop, Maltese Falcon and something else I don't remember (from a tin). Also tried the house blend that started this whole adventure and absolutely hated it. Didn't buy any tobacco yet, I figured I'd read some different threads here and try some samples at the shop first.


Welcome to the well-worn 'slippery slope' Ron.

Cobs are great. Have an MM Patriot and Country Gentleman. Use them for testing (occasionaly) but mainly for knocking around the house with. They smoke great, but I have no particular attachment to them. They are the dixie cups of the pipe world (oops, I am going to get a salvo of raspberries for that comment!) If they get damaged or what have you, so what. Get another one.

Briars on the other hand? Each one is different. Each one, especially sand blast, have provide a different tactile experience during a contemplative smoke. Each one has its own preferences in what it wants to have smoked in it, much like each tobacco might or might not be the best fit for it. That's a good deal of the fun of discovery.....and the reason that you will -over time provided you stay with the hobby- have an ever growing collection of pipes.

Briars have a sense of permanence about them, and the relationship grows over time. Some of my favorites are estate pipes (2 birth year Dunhill LB billiards and 2 Pre-Trans Barling billiards) that I smoke regularly, enjoy taking particularly good care of (as their previous owners obviously did) and I consider myself their caretakers. The briars that I have purchased new I hope to pass on one day in equally good condition.

Well,...you get the picture. You will understand much better once your new Savinelli explains it to you much better than anyone else ever could.

Best Regards & Welcome,
Steve


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

I just hope when she talks to me, I understand! After all, my wife says I never understand what she says to me. ROFL


----------



## Mitch (Oct 2, 2009)

Siv said:


> I will agree that briars look better and have more variety in look and shape than a cob.
> 
> But, I will respectfully disagree with you that they smoke better purely based on my limited experience. They smoke differently but the annoyance of cake building and the gurgling makes me not want to have any briars. I do, however, have dozens of meers and I would like to think that there is just as much variety in the look and shape of meers than briars, if not more.
> 
> ...


This is the reason why we recommend newbies to use a cob to start off. I only smoke briars and don't deal wuith gurgling. If I do, I just run a pipe cleaner.

I personally never liked a Cobb. I feel it even changed the taste.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

lbiislander said:


> I just hope when she talks to me, I understand! After all, my wife says I never understand what she says to me. ROFL


Fortunately, your pipe will never utter those dreaded words: we need to talk.


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

MarkC said:


> Fortunately, your pipe will never utter those dreaded words: we need to talk.


And your tobacco will never scream for the police when you lock it in a cellar!


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

dmkerr said:


> Without getting into meers (since it wasn't in the OP), I get a decent smoke from cobs but a much better smoke from briars. Hence, I don't own any cobs any longer. No disrespect intended towards cob lovers - I just don't share their opinion.
> 
> But as mentioned, it's not all about the flavor of the smoke. Briars lend themselves better to the pipe collector and aesthete.


I didn't include meers in the original post because I didn't think anyone started out with meers. As a noob, when I talk to people they seem to have a collection of pipes, usually briars and maybe 1 meer. That's before I "met" all you guys who seem to have a much higher level of appreciation and sophistication.:clap2:


----------



## Siv (Jul 26, 2010)

lbiislander said:


> I didn't include meers in the original post because I didn't think anyone started out with meers.


I started with a briar but had a cheap no-name meer on order as well. I'm so glad I did that - if I had stuck to the briar, I probably wounldn't have gotten into pipes at all.

A cob is the cheapest way to get a pipe and smoke. They don't need any pampering, they don't gurgle and if you don't like them you aren't throwing away lots of money.

For me, meers are a far superior smoking experience and the only downside is their fragility. Even this fragility, to me, is overstated. How often do you drop your pipe on a hard floor? That's what it's going to take to break a meer.


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

I am fascinated by meers and now that I finally bought a briar, I'm wondering if I should buy a meer now or wait until the Puff 2011 club meer is available. I don't know what the lead time is from ordering until delivery. Anyone on this thread know or should I post it on the club pipe thread?


----------



## TXsmoker (Sep 6, 2010)

Meers dont ghost, but they are somewhat fragile. Personaly, if you want a meer, get one now, and get something thin that will color a little quicker, then buy the club pipe when it comes out.


----------



## Jessefive (Oct 21, 2009)

Siv said:


> How often do you drop your pipe on a hard floor?


You don't want to know...


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

What are we all after in a good pipe? Most will say the ability to provide cool, dry and flavourful smoke. But there are other factors at play. A pipe is also an expression of your personality and how you want to be perceived by others. Shape, size and material matter.

Cob is indeed good. It's got great water absorption properties and is cheap to produce. Durability is a bit of an issue, but who cares if the price is low? There can undoubtedly be superb pipes made from this material. But cob also has a "personality". Think of the people known for smoking this type of pipe. They bestow on the smoker a somewhat rustic, no-nonsense, down-with-the-people aura. My opinion - but I doubt if cob smokers will find much to argue with. That's generally the storefront they want to show.

The other materials also have their own personalities. Combine that with the miriad of shapes possible and you can have a pipe that expresses your personality and even mood perfectly. 

And so much the better if they perform and last well. Cobs are great in many ways, but they do lack the permanence of briar and meerschaum. I have heard stories of cob pipes lasting a careful owner many years, but well looked after and smoked with due care, the other materials will last generations. Smoking one of these types allows you to develop your "brand" without having to reinvent yourself every couple of months.

Just my twopennyworth...


----------



## slyder (Mar 17, 2009)

My work pipes take a hard knock at least once a day if not more depending on what im doing. They have dropped off ladders, second floor balconys, been knocked off the work bench a million times and one almost got ran over by a RTV on a street when it fell onto the floor board and got kicked out the door. Thats why I buy $20 Dr Grabows for work. They are decent smoking pipes and usually look ok. My only wish is that they made there stems from some harder material. The cheap plastic seems to produce teeth marks with ease.


----------



## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

I got my first cobs (3 MM models) last week—I have a dozen briars, of various quality, and have loved them. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. My cob observations:
- It's impossible to really get a cob clean: A cob pipe is, in essence, a corn cob core with a stem inserted. There’s a part of the bottom of the cob that you can't ever reach with a pipe cleaner. As a briar fanatic, I run a Bacardi 151 soaked pipe cleaner through every shank before I hang it up to dry. This isn’t as effective with cobs. They retain an odor.
- Cobs smoke dry and cool: The stem-into-cob design means there's a reservoir below where the stem connects. Any moisture built up beyond what the cob itself can hold will pool here. But don’t be surprised if nothing pools there. . .cobs are amazingly absorbent. 
- Cobs burn/scorch easily: These are, after all, corn. Unlike briar, you can't burnish burn marks off of them. Once they burn, they are burnt. At the same time. . .once they burn, they are marked with the scar of the user. And that's cool in its own right.
- When you foul a briar, it is always reparable. When you scorch a briar, it’s always reparable. A well crafted, well tended briar is near immortal. A good briar is lifelong.


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

lbiislander said:


> I am fascinated by meers and now that I finally bought a briar, I'm wondering if I should buy a meer now or wait until the Puff 2011 club meer is available. I don't know what the lead time is from ordering until delivery. Anyone on this thread know or should I post it on the club pipe thread?


Lead time? Well, if you order an IMP from smokingpipes.com or a Baki from 
bestmeerschaums.homestead.com, the lead time is however long it takes to get to you from the U.S, as smokingpipes and Deniz Ural are based in the U.S.

If you order an IMP or an Altinok from Ebay or from Sinan Altinok's site, the lead time is longer since they ship from Turkey. Plus Altinok doesn't have a lot of pipes ready for shipment. They are made when you order, which increases the lead time but you also essentially get a custom made pipe. Tradeoff.


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Siv said:


> For me, meers are a far superior smoking experience and the only downside is their fragility.


Not a downside for me, but it may be for some - there is also the issue of cleaning the pipe. Meers will not tolerate shank goo for very long. I used to give briars a dry clean with a pipe cleaner after each smoke and an Everclear bath (through the shank) about once every 25 smokes. A meer needs the Everclear after every 3-5 smokes or it will taste dirty and cloud the smoke. A clean meer provides the most clarity of smoke but they need more frequent cleaning than briars do, in my experience.


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

dmkerr said:


> Not a downside for me, but it may be for some - there is also the issue of cleaning the pipe. Meers will not tolerate shank goo for very long. I used to give briars a dry clean with a pipe cleaner after each smoke and an Everclear bath (through the shank) about once every 25 smokes. A meer needs the Everclear after every 3-5 smokes or it will taste dirty and cloud the smoke. A clean meer provides the most clarity of smoke but they need more frequent cleaning than briars do, in my experience.


Interesting! This is the first time I've ever heard this. Where do you get Everclear?


----------



## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

The main advantage of briar is that it last's longer and both absorbs and develops flavors more. The cob will do the same just not as much and it will be limited in lifespan, that said many talk of having a cob for 20 yrs.


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

lbiislander said:


> Interesting! This is the first time I've ever heard this. Where do you get Everclear?


You can buy Everclear at the liquor store, but I use good bourbon. It has less alcohol content but to me leaves a nice and very temporary flavour in the pipe.ipe:


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

Nachman said:


> You can buy Everclear at the liquor store, but I use good bourbon. It has less alcohol content but to me leaves a nice and very temporary flavour in the pipe.ipe:


Oh that Everclear. You can't buy it in a liquor store in New York. I know, I own a liquor store in NY. Everclear is illegal here in the Empire State. I'm glad I can use bourbon; lots of that where I live and play!


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Vodka works just fine. I imagine Everclear and other near pure alcohols would come in handy for restoring an estate that gunked up to death, but a vodka soaked bristle pipe cleaner gets the job done.


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

And do you clean your meers after every few smokes with alcohol?


----------



## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

I don't have any meers. The Puff 2011 pipe will be my first. I do clean my briars pipe's shanks with vodka, but only after maybe 30 to 50 smokes, which with my rotation is at least two years or so.


----------



## Walter MItty (Sep 27, 2009)

I am of the belief that if you are starting out you just cannot go wrong with a couple of good cobs and a forever stem. While exploring the vagaries of various tobaccos and finding your niche it is a good time to start reading and asking others what a good briar pipe for your uses might be There are a lot of very good pipe makers out there and you might well be ahead of the game to pick out a couple of good handmades from the likes of Mark Tinsky or Rad Davis. You see estates on sale from time to time that are quite reasonable in price. 

Many dedicate a pipe to one tobacco, I think that staying in the same genre until you have nailed your technique down and have a confirmed rotation is probably your best bet. Even though cobs don't ghost, I pretty much treat them the same way. I have about 10 cobs that get various usage. And while a great many others might dispute this, I think that briar and burley were born for one another. Sugar Barrel in a Diplomat is simply right.


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

By the way, when you clean the stem of your pipe with alcohol try not to get it on the outside of the stem, but if you do you can restore the gloss with a little olive oil. When you clean the shank with alcohol wad up a paper towel and stuff it in the bowl to keep from soaking the cake too badly. Let the pipe sit for about 24 hours afterwards to let it dry out well.


----------



## lbiislander (Oct 15, 2010)

All great advice. Hope I remember them or this thread. Well I should remember, I'm the OP.


----------

